High Intensity Training (HIT) is a form of exercise that has been proven in clinical trials to deliver the same, if not superior, benefits as traditional aerobic endurance exercise (such as jogging, walking, running, cycling) but in a shorter time. Some of the health benefits of HIT are improved cardiovascular fitness and improved sugar metabolism (better response to insulin and reduced risk of diabetes). The improved responsiveness of body cells to insulin also helps mobilising the body's fat stores when trying to lose weight.
HIT involves doing a small number of short intervals of exercise at very high intensity, which go beyond an individual's capacity to transport and use oxygen during exercise (i.e., VO2max). For example, one HIT protocol consists of 3 minutes light warm-up cycling on an exercise bike at low resistance; followed by a 20 seconds sprint at high resistance for the exerciser to achieve maximal power output during the sprint; followed by a 3 minutes recovery period of slow cycling at low resistance; followed by a second high-intensity 20 seconds sprint at high resistance; followed by a 3 minutes cool-down period of slow cycling at low resistance. This protocol of under 10 minutes per exercise session performed 3 times per week has been scientifically proven under laboratory conditions to deliver the same benefits in terms of cardiovascular fitness (VO2max) and sugar metabolism (insulin sensitivity) as four runs of 45 minutes each per week. Of course, the protocol may be varied in the number and duration of low resistance periods, and in the number and duration of peak performance protocols.
HIT is a well-established training method that has been known for some time. If the HIT exercise is carried our correctly, it represents a very effective and convenient workout in which users do not or only minimally sweat, which would allow the exercise to be carried out for, for example, at work without the need for changing clothes or having a shower.
However, there are currently no pieces of exercise apparatus on the market that have been specifically designed for HIT. For example, existing exercise bicycles are general purpose for multiple different kinds of exercise, and resistance levels thus need to be manually adjusted by the user, distracting the user from the focussed nature of the HIT workout. A range of different types of exercise apparatus are available for use in dedicated gyms, or at home, and some have been developed to include sophisticated control systems. For example, many gyms offer upright and reclining bikes, which are used for comparatively low intensity exercise. Many such bikes include pre-set programs, which a user may select to adjust resistance of the exercise over a period of time. These exercise bikes are not adapted to provide HIT exercise. If a user were to attempt to perform an HIT workout on existing bikes, they would have to input the resistance values for the workout themselves, with no guidance as to a correct value to choose.
To correctly carry out an HIT protocol, the user must exercise at very high intensity when required, and recover when required by exercising at low intensity. This is unfamiliar to many users, so, without apparatus specifically designed for HIT, it is likely that the user will not follow the HIT protocol correctly and not experience the full benefit of this form of exercise.
A user should be working at or near their maximum power output to correctly perform an HIT protocol; however it is known that maximum power output is not necessarily achieved at maximum resistance. In this regard, one significant problem which arises using standard exercise bikes is that many users perform the HIT protocol with too high or too low resistance levels, or with too high or too low cadence. Cadence is the rate of revolutions of the crank, i.e. the rate at which the cyclist is turning the pedals. It is particularly inconvenient for a user to adjust the resistance level manually, as this interrupts the user's exercise. It is also not advisable for the user to set their resistance level themselves, as this gives an additional distraction to the user. Furthermore, the user does not know what resistance level to choose, how to optimise their resistance level, and whether or not their resistance level should be changed depending on their performance. This uncertainty makes it difficult for a user to correctly carry out an HIT protocol on current exercise apparatus.
Another problem particularly associated with the difficult and intense nature of an HIT protocol is the motivation of the user. Enthusiasm and willpower are required to work at or near maximum intensity and power output. If the user is given the option to set their own resistance level they may start with too high a resistance, and then give up, or lower the level too far to give an easier workout, and thus not follow the protocol correctly. This is another reason to prevent the user from adjusting their resistance level.
Accordingly, there is a need for exercise apparatus that is specifically designed to make it easier for a user to correctly carry out an HIT protocol. This should involve minimal input from the user, and automatically optimise resistance levels such that the user is working at the correct intensity. If the input of the user at the start of each HIT protocol is minimised, the user will be more focussed on the protocol, and will therefore be more able to meet its particular exacting requirements, and thus see the full benefit of this form of exercise.
In addition, a problem associated with standard exercise apparatus is that it is unsuitable for use in public, or private areas other than gyms, such as office buildings, retail outlets, hotels, and so on. If conventional exercise apparatus was placed in public areas without supervision, there would be a significant risk of unauthorised and inappropriate use, which may put the user at risk of injury due to incorrect operation, overexertion, and so on. Furthermore, users may feel uncomfortable exercising on conventional bikes in public areas, particularly at peak performance levels, because they would feed exposed and would lack a minimum required level of privacy.
Health clubs and gyms normally offer a range of exercise bikes to conduct aerobic fitness exercises. However, this means that the exercise bikes are occupied by one individual user for a relatively long period of time. This makes it necessary to provide a greater number of pieces of expensive apparatus that occupy a larger floor space. Moreover, exercise bikes and other pieces of exercise equipment found in gyms are not specifically designed for HIT, and thus suffer the problems described above.